Thom Hill of Echo Lake
What's on your rider?The last few gigs we did, it was mostly beer, beer and beer. We mostly just ask to make sure there's booze, fruit and pitta bread or something like that. We usually don't eat much before a show anyway because of nerves!
What would be on your fantasy rider?I work in a wine shop near Alexandra Palace. The other month The Vaccines played there. The rep for the show came and brought loads of Veuve Clicquot champagne for them. I wouldn't mind a bit of that treatment one day, to be honest. For now,I'm happy enough with the pitta bread.
What's your pre-gig ritual/ routine?For me it's basically, spend the whole day thinking about the gig and all the things that could go wrong. Lugging loads of gear around the place. Turning up to the venue and getting even more nervous. Smoke as many fags as possible. Drink loads and get more nervous. Then the rest of the band usually just tell me to chill out, so I give that a go. Then we play and it's usually really good and then I wonder what I was worried about in the first place. Then I do it all again the next show.
What are your favourite and least favourite venues?I love the Brudenell social club in Leeds. It's a nice relaxed place to hang out in before and after gigs. I don't think there's any venues I particularly dislike. We just try and avoid places that we've had a bad time at.
Most embarrassing on-stage moment?So many. Amps blowing in the middle of a song, pedals breaking in the middle of a song, breaking strings in the middle of a song, guitar strap breaking in the middle of a song. Basically, anything that could be considered a small hiccup for most bands makes me upset.
Chatting between songs – good or bad?For us it's bad because we're quite shy and don't have much to say so we try to stay in the "zone" of just playing music.
Groupies. Would you?No thanks, got a girlfriend.
Do you like to meet and greet fans after the gig?If anyone wants to come and say hello, then totally!
Any useful stage tips?Don't stare at your shoes.
What's your best tour story?Probably the time we were driving back from a show in Leeds. We had a big wad of cash on us and went for dinner late at night in a practically deserted service station.
The story’s too long to go into here, but it basically involved us getting stalked by a really scary skinhead guy, pitch-black amusement arcades, a blacked- out 4 x4 Jeep, genuinely thinking I was going to die in the crappy service station toilets and a Burger King. It was a bit like that movie The Vanishing. I’ll tell the story further one day if anyone asks me!
Echo Lake play Dublin on Wednesday
